RENTING cost middle-income tenants in Swindon a quarter of of their pre-tax wages even before inflation and energy bills increased.

In Swindon, the median monthly rent for a one-bedroom property stood at £650 in the 12 months to March, Office for National Statistics figures highlight.

Separate ONS figures show the median wage of full-time employees in the area in 2021 was £30,662 per year.

It means the average middle-income worker living alone in Swindon was spending around 25 per cent of their income on rent last year.

Median rent across all property types in Swindon rose from £725 per month in the 12 months to March 2021 to £750.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said millions of tenants are "living on a knife-edge with no wriggle room to help then navigate rising costs" as private rents rocket and swallow an increasingly large portion of people's income.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said the most vulnerable will receive at least £1,200 of direct payments to limit the rising cost of living, and highlighted the council tax rebate and £400 energy repayment as measures introduced to aid people during this testing period.